Kuala Lampur, Nov. 20 -- The Philippines is entering a moment of reckoning. A massive flood-control corruption scandal-now formally charged by the country's ombudsman-has exposed the scale of governance failures rippling across Manila.

The first set of charges, filed against former lawmaker Elizaldy Co and several public-works officials, involves a "grossly" substandard road-dyke project in Oriental Mindoro. This project was meant to prevent flooding in one of the country's most vulnerable provinces.

Instead, it became a symbol of how public money, public safety, and public trust were simultaneously compromised.

This scandal arrives at the worst possible time. The Philippines is set to assume the Asean Group Chairmanship in 2026 and ho...